The Abandoned
by bbclyokomutant
Summary: What if Aelita had a sister? What if her sister had left with her mother and was never virtualized? What if they met again? Chapter fifteen now up! I do not own Code Lyoko. Maybe the fact that this is FANfiction gave it away? Oh, and the Latin on the necklace says, "securus de filia mea malum". Translate it!
1. Prologue

I shivered in the alley. I clutched my thin brown rags around my shoulders in a desperate attempt to warm up. I could hear the street gangs coming my way. I was old enough to be the subject of their hunts. I stood up shakily, woozy from the starvation and hypothermia. I moved out of the alley and remained just barely in the streetlamp's light, but enough to discourage the gangs from pulling me back into the alleyways. I found one of 'my' lids out of sight of the local police. I pulled the lid into the hole, and began climbing down the ladder.

I felt safer down here. The gangs remained above ground, and the police didn't figure any criminals would be low enough to hide in the sewer system.

I was going back to my first hideout. The first and last place I remembered having a family.

I surfaced outside of the factory. Knowing that it was abandoned, and had been since the Professor had left, I felt no fear in coming. I slid down a rope that couldn't be more than a few months old. Someone had been here.

But I was cold, and hadn't eaten since I couldn't remember when. If I were nourished, I would no doubt notice the heating system, and that the elevators were working. I also would have noticed the red lights that seemed to follow my progress as I found a corner to curl up in. I also might have noticed that the red lights looked a lot like eyes...and that they didn't look away from me the whole time I was there.

But I hadn't eaten since I couldn't remember when, and I was just happy that I was warm. Finally.

When I woke up, there was someone staring at me. I shrank back. I knew what this person would do. They'd said it was help, but all it did was put me back on the streets.

He held out his hand. "I'm Jeremie Belpois," he said. "What are you doing here?"

I smiled tentatively at the nice boy. I cleared my throat. It had been a very long time since I had last spoke to anyone.

"My name is Anne Britney Hopper. I'm here because I used to live here, and it was cold out."

The blonde boy jumps back. I bite my lip and wish it were bloody. The taste of blood makes things feel so distant.

The boy turned to the monitors that I had passed last night. He turns on a headset and mutters something at the screen. The screens go black, but not before I see the light from the last night. It looks like an eye, and it was staring at me.

Five people spill out of a doorway to my left. A pink-haired girl, a blonde and purple-haired boy, a brunette boy, a black-haired girl, and a black-haired boy.

"What was that, Einstein?" The one with the purple asked. "We were about to get Aelita to the tower when you devirtualized us!" The brunette one nods sullenly. He appears to do everything sullenly, I note.

Then the one with purple in his hair looks to the corner and sees me. I shrink back even farther, even though they all see her. I was here first, I think. If anything, they're the trespassers.

"You pulled us out of a mission for this?!" The sullen one asks. "That's nothing! Just do a return to the past and she won't remember anything.

Jeremie frowns. "Ulrich, that won't work here. She'll come anyway, she knows this place. She says she used to live here."

The one called Ulrich shakes his head. "And I say that I'll get straight A's this semester. Doesn't mean I'm telling the truth."

I shrink back even further to avoid looking at Ulrich, who is looking at me like I'm a piece of trash.

Then the girl wearing black speaks up. "Lay off her, Ulrich. It's not like she disabled the program."

"Yeah, but it is her fault that she's in our factory. If not, we would've deactivated the tower."

I frowned, but I didn't want to upset Ulrich any more. And I was scared he might hurt me. He reminded me of Shank.

"Geez, Ulrich, lay off, huh? It's not her fault," the purple one says.

Jeremie nods. "She has something important to say. Go on," he says to me. "Tell them what you told me."

"I'm cold," I said dully. I couldn't think straight. In all the chaos, my starvation hadn't seemed that important. Since things had calmed down, I remembered that I hadn't eaten since I couldn't remember when. Things started to sway. Jeremie shook me. My eyes snapped open. "No, tell them your name," he said. Why is that important? I wondered. I don't know these people.

But I was tired, and I hadn't eaten since I couldn't remember when. "Anne Britney," I slurred. "Anne Britney..." The world blurred and darkened. Jeremie shook me. But that didn't matter right now. I should get some rest. Things would be better once I woke up.

"When the sun rises tomorrow, my darling, that's when I'll come to you, my darling, and that's when I'll rescue you...my darling." I sang aloud.

A pink blob appeared in my vision. I didn't care, though. They could talk when I woke up.

The world faded into blackness. I felt a sharp pain across my face, and a loud noise. But I was happy now. I would talk when I woke up. But now I was too tired.


	2. Chapter 2

I blinked the haze off my eyes. One of the people from last night-Ulrich-was standing over me, talking to a blonde woman.

"Shh," the woman said. "She's waking up."

"Where-" my voice cracked. "Where am I? Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "This is Kadic academy. I'm Nurse Yolanda, and this is-"

"Ulrich," I remembered. "You were with me last night."

The nurse frowns. "That's not possible, young lady. Ulrich just found you passed out in the quad."

I shook my head. The world swayed and blurred. Things darkened, but I saw Ulrich glaring at me. The nurse found a syringe and moved towards me.

Oh, no. I thought. No, please, God, no. I spasmed to avoid the shot. Ulrich put his arms over mine. I couldn't let him keep me down. I flailed violently and kicked him in the jaw.

Suddenly, I was tired, so tired, and cold. I realized I hadn't eaten since I couldn't remember when. I stopped flailing and curled into the fetal position. I was so tired. I shivered. The world faded away again.

This time, I didn't want to wake up. If I woke up again, I knew that Shank would come. I had stopped trusting Shank when he killed my family. When he tried to kill the Professor and my best friend.

When he made the factory unlivable to me.

When I woke up, I saw the people who met me in the factory. The one called Ulrich was glaring at me. The purple one was staring down at me like I was a particularly interesting movie to watch. Jeremie was frowning at me, the goth one was staring at me mildly, and the pinkette was smiling at me. There was someone new, but they were standing behind Ulrich.

I tried to sit up, but Ulrich shoved me down roughly. I became aware of my surroundings and becalmed panicked, but dully. The most important thing was to get some sleep, and then I would feel better. I hadn't eaten since I couldn't remember when, and I was so tired. And it was so cold here. I shivered and closed my eyes. One of them slapped me, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to do was get some sleep. One of them shook me, and I opened my eyes. It was the new person, but I vaguely remembered him.

"So, Frogger, what do you want to do tonight? We could go to the Tower, or down Main Street to buy you a dress to make you even prettier." The boy winked.

Anne laughed at him. "Shank, I have all I need right here." She smiled and snuggled closer to Shank. He closed his eyes and started humming her lullaby. Anne smiled and sang along. "When the sun rises tomorrow, my darling, that's when I'll come to you, my darling, and that's when I'll rescue you, my darling."

Shank smiled and kissed the top of her head. Anne smiled and was glad for his warmth.


	3. Chapter 3

I recognized the person shaking me. It was Shank. He had killed everyone I loved. I fought through her delirium and the fog sitting in my brain to fight Shank for what he did. I had to get him back for what he did. I began to flail horribly and tried to kick and punch him. He shoved me roughly back down onto what I now recognized as an operating table. Why was I there on the table? I remembered being on a table like this years ago. I had a microchip in my arm from the table. I had gotten hurt on that table. I flailed and kicked Shank and Jeremie in their faces. The gothic one grabbed one of my legs and held it down. The purple one grabbed my other leg. Shank was still holding down my arms. I screamed in pain. Ulrich walked up next to me and violently covered my mouth with his hand.

"Be quiet, will ya? Otherwise people will hear you!"

I act out of instinct before he finishes talking. I clamped my jaw closed on his hand. He cries out and clutches his hand. I reached for my necklace, the one my parents gave me. But it's not there. I spot the familiar blue glint around Shank's neck. I was too tired to get it, though. After everyone was calm, Jeremie approached me. Shank, Ulrich, and the goth girl are still holding me down.

"When did you live here?" He asks.

I am dizzy. I am hungry, and so cold. I can't remember the answer. Shank hits my shoulder. "Answer him!" He bellows.

"William!" The goth one yells.

Why did she call Shank William? I wondered.

"E's not Willum," I slurred quietly. But Jeremie heard.

"What?" He asked.

"'S not Willum," I said again. "'S Shank."

Jeremie frowns. "Anne, this is William Dunbar. None of us know anyone called Shank."

I frowned back. There was something niggling at my brain, something that had been very important a few moments ago. I remembered.

"'S got my necklace," I murmured, floating off to sleep. Jeremie shook me awake. "Who has your necklace?" He asked. "William?"

I frowns. "'S not Willum," I slurred. "'S Shank."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Jeremie asks.

"'S a yes," I said. I was annoyed. All I wanted to do was sleep. Couldn't they let me sleep?

Jeremie shook me again. "What is wrong?" He demanded.

"Cold," I muttered. "Hungry. Tired." I tried to go back to sleep, but Jeremie shook me again. "Quick," he ordered. "When was the last time you ate?"

I thought. Not this week. Or last. Or even this month. Maybe a few months ago? No, Shank had been hunting me then. I remembered stealing a moldy loaf of bread out of the garbage a long time ago. When was that? I hadn't had bread in...I couldn't remember. I concentrated, and remembered. It was three months ago, and the kindest person I had ever met had given me an entire sandwich.

"Three months," I slurred. "Lettuce sandwich."

Jeremie frowns. "We need to get some food into her, quick," he commands the other people. "She's clearly delirious from hunger. She'll die if she doesn't eat something substantial, soon."

Shank nods. He releases my arms tentatively, but I don't care. I'm too tired for a struggle. I just want to sleep. But the one with purple in his hair shakes me.

"Don't you dare fall asleep," he says. "I still owe you for clocking me in the jaw," he says, mock-sniffling. I like this boy. I'll try to stay awake for him.


	4. Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the short chapter today anyone reading this...I couldn't find any filler stuff to make it longer.

I heard Shank moving towards me. It reminded me of the last time I had seen him, down that alley.

"Here, froggy froggy froggy," he sang dementedly. "Time to come out and play."

Anne huddled behind the dumpster and prayed that he wouldn't come any closer to her.

Shank laughed maniacally. He fired his gun into the air. "Frooooooggyyyyyy," he sang. "Don't make me wait. You know how...impatient I can get when we play hide and seek."

Anne shuddered. He had been playing this sick version of hide and seek since she had found him in the remnants of the path to the factory, giggling next to her parents bodies, inviting her to stay with him. She had to get away, fast. Otherwise she would be just like her parents and her best friend and the Professor, dead and forgotten in Shank's insane rampage. She rose to a low crouch. She made her way slowly to the next hiding place.

But Shank was a very good seeker.

"Gotcha!" He cried. He shot at her. The bullet hit her shoulder. Running through the pain, she found herself facing a stone wall. She heard Shank's voice behind her.

"Ready or not, here I come," he said, cocking his gun. Making a rash decision, Anne jumped to the first toe hold right when Shank fired. The bullet dug itself into the wall. Anne scrambled over the wall and lay panting in a heap at the bottom. She picked herself up and walked out of the alley. She made her way to a nearly-empty café and heaved through the door like it was made of lead. The manager looked up from his paper at the sound of the rusty bell ringing. He gasped at the blood pouring out of Anne and called the police. She turned to look out the window and found herself staring into the mad eyes of Shank. "I'm coming to get you " he said sadistically. Anne collapsed.

No. No, he wouldn't. I would fight him this time, not just run. I would fight for my family and my best friend, Aelita Schaeffer.


	5. Chapter 5

I struggled against Shank. He wouldn't get me. Not today. I tried to kick him, but a black shape caught my foot. It spoke in soothing tones to me. Shank gave something to it and stalked out. The black blob took it and gently handed it to me. I held it, not knowing what it was.

"It's part of a sandwich," the blob said. "You need to get your strength up. Jeremie says you haven't eaten in months!" The blob says this like it's shocking, I note. People go without food for months in the back ways. This confirms my theory that these people lead lives of comfort where going without food for a day was odd, but without food for months was the stuff of a dark fantasy novel.

I focused on holding the sandwich and brought it to my mouth. I remembered to open my jaw and dropped the sandwich in. I chewed and barely swallowed. The effect was instantaneous. My vision sharpened and I raised my arm into the air. I saw that what I had perceived as a shape of black was the gothic girl. I struggled to sit up, but the girl pushed me back down.

"First, you eat," she decreed. "Then, we talk"

I dutifully ate the sandwich and swigged the glass of water they had offered me. I sat up weakly, my stomach still empty, but less so.

"Who are you?" My voice cracked.

"I'm Yumi Ishiyama," the girl said. "Jeremie said to ask you what your name was when you woke up. So what is your name?"

I fought through the remaining fog to remember. "Anne Britney Hopper," I said decisively.

Yumi gasped. She pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Aelita?" She asked. "It's Yumi. You have to get everyone to the factory, quick. This is important."

"Wus important?" I asked sleepily. It was still so cold, and I was so hungry.

Yumi inhaled. "Nothing, Anne," she smiled. "Nothing at all."

I nodded and lay back down on the cool metal surface. I was so tired...

"Oh, no you don't," Yumi said. "Eat another sandwich first. Three months without food equals two sandwiches from Rosa."

I nod and eat another sandwich. Might as well get my strength up before I meet Shank's deadline.


	6. Chapter 6

Someone shook me. Who was it? It wasn't Yumi. Yumi was behind whoever was shaking me. Jeremie was next to me. Ulrich. Ulrich was shaking me.

"Whaaaa?" I asked.

Ulrich laughed. "Sounds like you in the morning, Odd."

"Aw, shut up, Ulrich," Odd said from behind me.

"Wuss hapnin'?" I asked.

"We need you to answer a few questions for us, Anne," Jeremie said. "For those of us who don't know, what is your name?"

"You know what it is," I said. "Tell 'em yourself!"

Odd snickered. "Yeah Einstein, tell us yourself!"

Jeremie sighed. "She says her last name is Hopper."

Everyone gasped, including the pinkette.

"Yeah. So what?" I asked.

The pinkette frowned. "My last name is Hopper, too," she said.

"Oh no, there are two people who have Hopper as a last name! What if two people have the last name Johnson! The world might end!"

Odd laughed out loud. Jeremie frowned at him. "Odd, be serious."

"Um, can you let go of my arms?" I asked. "And my legs?"

"How do we know you won't run away, huh?" Ulrich asked.

"How do I know you aren't going to shoot me, huh?" I countered mockingly.

Odd snickered. Ulrich frowned. Yumi smirked.

"Let her go, guys," Jeremie said. "She's had plenty of chances to run away. If she wanted to run away, she would have done it long before now."

Yumi and Ulrich released my arms and legs. I sat up and rubbed my wrists resentfully. Then I swung my legs off the table. I could see spots. This brief sanity wouldn't last long.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"The factory," Ulrich said. "And if you tell anyone about it, you're dead."

I laughed bitterly. "Just speeding up the end," I said.

Jeremie's brow folded. "What do you mean?"

I made eye contact with him. "I mean that Shank would get me anyway."

Jeremie frowned. "You've mentioned this 'Shank' person several times, Anne. Who is he?"

I frowned. "Just some crazy-ass nutjob who murdered my family and my best friend. And wants to kill me."

Jeremie frowned. "When was the last time you saw Shank?" He asked.

I frowned back. "The first night I came back here. Don't you remember?"

Ulrich stepped in. "Who was there that first night, Anne?"

I glared at him. "You, Jeremie, Yumi, pinkette, me, Odd, and Shank," I said clearly.

The pinkette smiled. "My name is Aelita," she said.

"I know. Now, what's the point, Ulrich?" I said.

"The point, Anne, is that that's not what happened. It was me, Jeremie, Odd, Yumi, Aelita, and William. None of us have ever met anyone called Shank."

I shake my head. "Liar."

Ulrich frowns. "Listen, Anne, no one here has ever met anyone called Shank."

I smiled tightly. "Except for Aelita," I said.

Aelita looked confused. "What do you mean? This is the first time I've ever met you or heard of anyone called Shank," she said.

I frowned. "Liar." I jumped off the table and made a run for it between Yumi and Ulrich.

I was almost out of the factory and was close to blacking out. I could tell by the growing gray fuzz around the center of my vision. I saw ghosts coming out of electrical outlets. And Shank. I saw Shank walking towards me. Shank couldn't have found me already. It had only been a week since I got out of the hospital. He gave me two weeks. That's what he told me, the first time I was in a hospital. He said two weeks head start. It hasn't been two weeks. Shank was crazy, but he was fair.

But Shank was still walking towards me. Or was this the person they called William. But Wlliam was Shank. I could tell from the way they walked, with the same swagger that said they thought they were better than everyone else and screamed disaster. Shank saw me and broke into a run.

This note is inspired by effin emo...review or I will stop posting!


	7. Chapter 7

-William

He wondered why the strange, scraggly girl who hated him was doing coming out of the factory. Yumi had said that she would stay there until they had some answers. It couldn't have taken them that short of a time.

-Anne

Shank was going to catch me if the ghosts didn't. The ghosts couldn't catch me, I thought dizzily. The ghosts weren't real. But the ghosts were coming. A ghost was standing in front of me. It was reaching for my eyes. It wanted my eyes. I clawed at it.

"Ow!" Shank yelled. But it wasn't Shank, Shank sounded older and crazier and different. Shank changed his voice. Why would he change his voice? He would come back to her in the morning. Mornings were the best to watch the Sun rise the Professor said I could come with Aelita but the Professor lived at the Hermitage but Aelita visited but Aelita was running and the Professor said sorry dear child but Aelita can't remember you and the Professor lied he said I had to keep Aelita company and he said I was the Warrior of Lyoko but he lied the Warrior of Lyoko was Aelita's brother Sam but he was a rebel and preferred Shank but Shank killed everyone and Shank loved her but Shank tried to kill her but the Professor said Anne if Shank goes then I want you to go to the room with the tubes but first go to my computer and press enter and then go into one of the tubes and find the tower with Aelita in it but the Professor left because Shank left and Shank told me that he thought his father loved Aelita more but I said that's not true Shank and even if it was you would have me to love and Shank smiled but Shank was still sad and he tried to kill me and Shank was standing right in front of me and I had to get away but I tried to run but I couldn't feel the ground but the ground was there but Shank was holding me up but I screamed but he said shh shh it's all right Shank can't hurt you but it wasn't Shank it was Ulrich and Odd and she was on a stretcher and Shank was next to her and didn't they know how dangerous Shank was but Shank wasn't attacking me.

Did Shank come back?

I'm going to make this very simple...REVIEW OR NO MORE CHAPTERS


	8. Chapter 8

For those of you reading this, you can thank SlightlyOdd13 for his reviews that made me continue this story.

They told me I stayed passed out for days. That they were scared and wanted to take me to a hospital. But if they took me to the hospital, they would have to explain how they found me and they couldn't do that. I asked them why they couldn't do it and they said it was because then they would have to tell the police about the factory and I wanted to ask them a lot of questions like can I have my necklace back but first they said they had to get some answers out of me first.

"First off," Ulrich asked. "When did you live here?"

I considered this. Aelita had left on the same day that I did. She looked the same. She hadn't aged at all. "About...oh, eight years, I'd say."

"Hmm," Ulrich said, not knowing how to process this.

"All right, next question. "Who's 'Shank'?"

I shuddered involuntarily. This was a question I didn't want to answer.

"Pass," I said.

Ulrich was confused. He was probably wondering what 'pass` meant.

"You can't-that's not-" he sighed. "Whatever. How did you know Aelita?"

I frowned. I couldn't take them by surprise this time. I was going to have to answer them.

"I used to live here. Aelita would visit from the Hermitage every day."

Aelita shook her head a little. I zeroed in on her.

"You had a doll called Mr. Puck that you got from your mom and dad one Christmas," I say, focusing entirely on her. "You would bring him here with you because you used to laugh at the way I would talk to you about him, like he was alive. My parents would meet you at the door and act like they had no idea who you were. You once told me that my mom was like the mom you never had. You made a piano, but all you ever played was 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' with all the chords. You once drew a giant mural that showed your family-me, you, the Professor, my mom, my dad. There wasn't enough space so you squeezed your brother in on the side."

Aelita is shaking her head, in complete denial of her past. The others are moving towards me, but I've gone too far to be stopped.

"Your brother Sam was a little bit of a rebel. He was ready for love before anyone you knew was. He loved me and called me Frogger because my last name-Hopper-reminded him of the frogs he would see in the river sometimes. Sam called himself Shank. You always thought that it was ridiculous the way that Sam had chosen to name himself after a weapon. Every time you saw him, you would call him something-club, sword, mace-anything but Shank, because you hated that name. You could see when Shank was close to the edge, but you just kept-on-pushing."

I laugh bitterly. Letting this all out makes me feel fantastic. Light as a cloud. The way I always imagined the girls with 'real' homes felt. I see Ulrich and 'Wlliam' approaching to hold me down. But I laugh. They hold me down, and I smile like I'm a freakin' nutball. I've learned that the crazier I seem, the sooner I'm released.

But then I see something that makes my blood run cold.

I see the ghosts.

Ulrich and 'William' both feel my limbs stiffen. They stiffen, but they don't see the ghosts. They're coming out of the electrical sockets.

"Run," I say. "Run, run, run! Hurry up!" I don't even try to move. They just have to get out of there. I don't have much of a conscience after eight years on the streets and longer than that running from a cold-blooded killer. But I had enough of one to tell them to run. But they didn't listen.

"What?" Ulrich asked. "Why?"

I spasmed. "Run, run, run! They're here. The ghosts are here! Get out of here! Run!"

None of them believed me. But the ghosts were creeping towards Ulrich. It was raised above his shoulder like a whip. I screamed. "Run, Ulrich! Run, run, run! It's right behind you! The ghost! Run, you idiot!"

He doesn't listen. The ghost moves ever closer to his shoulder. It's about to get him.

I smile. I have legs, don't I?

I roll into a somersault and come out standing on my head at, ironically, the head of the table. I collapse backwards out of the handstand and kick Ulrich out of the way.

"Run!" I scream, then the shadow hits me. It twists around my body like a hungry anaconda.

And then I can't see.

REVIEW OR I WILL TORTURE YOU WITH THE CLIFFHANGER OF CHAPTER EIGHT! MUAHAHAHA


	9. Chapter 9

The worst thing the ghosts do to people is that they let the people they possessed see what's happening. The people who had just helped me, even after I ran away from them, were standing there to fight me. And I could hear what was happening.

Ulrich was in the front. "Don't make me do this, Anne," he warned. "Believe me, I could use the extra experience.

I try to reply. I fight against the mental chains I'm under and regain control of my vocal cords.

"Ulrich," I pant, before the ghosts can pull me back in. "Ulrich, it's the ghost. It's in my body. God, Ulrich," I sob as the ghost tries to regain control over what it's lost. "Ulrich, it hurts. It's going to make me fight until I'm physically out of energy. It's going to make me fight until-" the ghost swallows. "Ulrich, It'll make me fight until I'm dead. It's going to kill me to stop you." My body is wracked with shuddering.

I can't help it. I start sobbing. My eyes burn with the salt from my tears. I can't see.

"Make it stop, Ulrich," I sob. "I don't care if I die first. Just get it out of me. Get it out of me before-" and I don't have any control anymore. Now all I hear is the cruel gravelly voice of the ghost. It laughs.

"A brave attempt. But futile, nonetheless." It pauses. "But I am curious as to how you had the stamina to keep control away from me for so long."

"Now," it says, turning its attention towards Ulrich, "show me what you can do, little fighter.

Ulrich breathes in. "XANA," he says. The ghost now has a name.

The ghost and Ulrich fight. I stop feeling my muscles. Yumi starts fighting too. I don't think I'm breathing. Odd attacks from behind. The world grows dimmer. William starts fighting. I try to collapse, to regain my strength. But XANA held my body up and fought them. I'm not breathing, but XANA doesn't need oxygen. No matter who wins this, I won't make it out. I haven't had oxygen in too long and I don't have enough strength to fight the ghost again. At least it's not Shank, I thought incoherently.

XANA laughs inside my head.

'This is the way you will die,' it taunts me. 'Fighting the only people who ever helped you. With no funeral and no fond memories.'

I don't care. I died a long, long time ago. I died with everyone I loved.

XANA sees this. 'So,' it purrs. 'You don't think that I can find one person to hurt?' It seems pleased at the prospect. 'What about the young boy who is so infatuated with you?' I don't know any boy 'infatuated' with me. A game. This is a game to XANA. And I'm the losing player. And losing in this game is death. That's the way that you play the game of life. And all my life I've been losing.

XANA laughs. 'Your life is spent. I have sufficiently weakened the Warriors.'

And I can breathe. I collapse and take long, deep breaths. Shank comes over to me and kicks me in the stomach. I curl around the pain and try to get air through the constricted airways that have clenched since his kick.

"William!" Yumi calls. "Can't you see that XANA's gone?"

I black out from the pain.


	10. Chapter 10

I wake up. My body is hit with waves of pain. After a few seconds, I can see. I see a white room. Too white. After years of living in the dark, I despise the light. This light is intolerable.

A tall man in a white lab suit walks into the room. I shrink back as best I can, which is much more effective when sitting up as opposed to lying down.

The man makes his way slowly to my bedside. He makes notes on his clipboard, and I squirm to see what he's writing.

'Lung damage. Will require several IVs. Possible surgery.'

No. I remember surgery. I have a scar in my arm and a hole in my memory from surgery. I check for restraints and, seeing none, jump up. The doctor has half a second to look confused-"Hey, you can't-"-before I jump out the window. Waves of pain move up my body when I land, but I don't get any more injuries. I landed in an open alley-one that connects directly to the streets. I move back into the backways, and slowly blend into the darkways. I find my first alley camp, and spend a few hours improving on it. I camoflouge it with the walls, place a garbage can a few yards away from it, and mask my footprints. Unless my deadline with Shank is up, I think that I'll stay here for a while. The darkways are my home.

"Howdy, Frogger." I stiffened. I only heard this voice in my nightmares.

"Shank?"

"Who else?"

I took a deep breath. This wasn't the best time to fight Shank. Lung damage, the doctor's notes said. And I just went through the biggest shock of my life. I turned around. There he was. He looked exactly the same.

He lifted his gun up off the ground. He had finally bought a silencer. Nine years, and now he buys the silencer.

"I'll give you to the count of ten, Froogy."

I ran. I scrambled up my hut and kicked the materials under me away. I jumped the wall and felt a bullet graze my shoulder. I ran until I hit the main streets. I sat on the corner and put out my hat. If I just look like a beggar, he should leave me alone.

Then I started singing. I purposely sang awful so Shank couldn't track me by voice, but people still stopped and stared. Almost everyone on the square dropped a coin in my hat and hurried off. I wasn't offended. They were late to work. Except one person who lingered when he dropped his coin in.

"Anne?"

I looked up. Odd was standing there.

"What is it, sir?"

"I would like to speak with you."

"Where? When?"

"Here. Now."

I shake my head. "Sorry, no can do. I'm busy now."

"Doing what?"

"Running"

"From?"

"Shank."

"Shank Shank or William Shank?"

"Shank Shank."

"You don't look like you're running."

"And you don't look like an idiot. Never judge a book by its cover."

Odd chuckled. "So why did you jump out a hospital window?"

"Can we discuss this later? I have a cazy guy on my trail and I'm pretty sure he has a gun."

"Follow me."

"I mentally shrug. Why not? I hide my money in the inside cap of my hat and get up to follow him. We walk past a backways alley.

And Shank makes his move.


	11. Chapter 11

You can all thank IdrewAcow for this chapter. IdrewAcow, I thank you for your review. Also, DestinyJoyHope, she tells them apart by voice.

"Whassa matter, Froggy?" He coos. "Find a new boy? I thought you and I were forever, babe."

I struggle weakly. He has his hand over my mouth so I can't call out to Odd or anyone else on the street. He has his arm around my body so I can't hurt him. He learned a lot in the past eight ears. He moves us to the darkways slowly, like he's afraid of stepping on a bomb. I suppose that in a way, he is. I have lots of darkways friends in this part of Paris. If he makes a wrong move, any one of them would be here in an instant to rescue me.

He stands me up against the wall. "Well Froggy, I guess that it's time for you to join your mom and dad. They'll be happy to see you, I think. They've missed you. Say hi to Aelita and the Professor for me, will you?"

I take a deep breath. He doesn't know. He doesn't know that Aelita is still alive. I have to tell him. I can't tell him. Aelita doesn't remember what happened. He could hurt her. I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes shut. It should happen quickly. It was quick the other times. My eyes flip open.

It's happened before. I've died before. But I'm still here. I can't still be here.

My vision is clouded over with binary code. Binary. Computer language. If you shoot a robot, robots don't die. Robots don't die. I'm thirteen. I've been thirteen for eight years. I will always be thirteen. I'm binary.

Shank shoots me. I've been shot. The binary coats the wound, which would have been fatal. It should be fatal. I shouldn't get shot two hundred and eight times and still be alive. Shank laughs. He runs. The binary starts healing my skin. I look at my hands. My hands are made of binary. My skin is binary. How? Why?

I will always be thirteen. Binary doesn't age. I will always be stuck at the age of thirteen.

A fate worse than death.

Someone's in the darkway. I look up. Their skin isn't binary. It's just skin.

"Anne?" It's Odd. I remember Odd. I had been going somewhere with him.

"Anne, are you all right? Where'd you go?"

I look at my hands. Binary. Computer code. "I went here."

Odd approaches me. "Are you all right? Did Shank find you?"

I want to say no, Shank didn't find me. If he had found me, I would be dead. But I'm not entirely sure. Can binary die?

"No. Yes. Why?"

"No, he didn't find you, or no, you're not okay?"

"I'm not okay. He found me."

Odd started. "Okay. Okay. Think, Odd. What do you do? The factory. She has to come to the factory. Can you walk?" He says, talking to me.

I lift my hands from my stomach. I show him the blood. He sees the shot.

"Oh god, oh god...um...okay, here's what's going to happen. I am going to carry you to the factory. It's going to be a long walk...um...okay."

He bends down and picks me up. He carries me like he's afraid that he'll drop me. I curl my head into his shoulder. He flinches a little. I don't care. I just try to shut out the world.

"Odd?"

It's Wlliam. Where are we? It's only been a few minutes.

"William, thank god. Anne got shot in the stomach. I can't carry her much farther."

Without a word, William picks me up out of Odd's arms. Od sighs in relief. William carries me a bit more...humanly. It just seems like Odd was treating me more like a piece of glass than a human.

William switches to piggyback after a few minutes. He climbs down a ladder. He walks slowly so he won't disturb me, but I'm not really in my body. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program. I'm a computer program.

Aelita shakes me. "Anne, are you okay?"

I look at her. She's binary, but only her eyes. "Only your eyes," I mutter. "Just your eyes."

She squints. "What do you mean?"

"Your eyes. Only your eyes are binary. I'm all binary. Absolutely all binary."

"What?"

"I'm made of binary. I'm code. You're not code, though. Only your eyes."

She was still confused, but she couldn't ask any more. William put me in a tube. The professor put me in one of these tubes once. He did something that made me binary.

"Professor," I mumble.

"Virtualization," Jeremy says. Jeremy's here? I forgot about him.

And then I wake up. My head is clear, and I can think. I'm not in the tube in the factory anymore, now I'm in some kind of Arctic tundra.

"Anne, can you hear me?" Jeremy asks.

"Yeah, why?"

Jeremy sighs in relief. "Hang on, I'm sending in Odd and William to explain it to you."

A second later, Odd is standing next to me, dressed as...a giant purple cat? I shake my head. Yup, still a cat. I laugh for the first time in ages. And keep laughing.

"Anne, what's wrong?" Jeremy asks.

"You didn't warn me he'd look like this! He's a giant purple cat, for crying out loud!"

Odd looks slightly miffed. "Sorry Odd, but you look ridiculous."

Odd sighed. "Everyone says that."

"Everyone's right."

"What about me, do I look ridiculous?" William asks. I spin around to face him. He's dressed in a ninja type suit. It has a red amulet around the neck and purple highlights. His hair is stick like he just got hit by lightning but in a cool way. He has black outlines around his eyes.

"Not as ridiculous as Odd." I smile. William smiles back.

"Do I look ridiculous?" I ask.

William smiles. "No. You look absolutely perfect."

I look down at myself. I'm wearing a plain white dress. I reach up to my head. My hair, which is now long and shiny, is held in place with a white headband with a white flower on it. I'm wearing white sandals and I have two black knives clipped to my belt.

"He-hem!" Odd coughs not so discreetly. "Anne, we have to ask you a few questions before XANA's monsters show up."

"Didn't Ulrich already do that?"

Odd rolls his eyes. "And that made things so much clearer."

I have to agree with him. I was being slightly...er...lying like Pinocchio when Ulrich interviewed me. I feel safer with Odd and William.

They sit down on the ground in Lyoko and gesture for me to follow their lead. I sit down awkwardly.

"First: Who is Shank?"

"Shank is Aelita's older brother. After her and the Professor disappeared, Shank went off the deep end, killed my parents, and is trying to kill me."

"Who is the professor?"

"Professor Waldo Franz Schaeffer loved in the Hermitage with Aelita and Shank."

"How old were you when you lived in the factory?"

"Thirteen."

"How old are you now?"

"Thirteen."

"How is this possible?"

"I'm composed entirely of binary code. I am technically a hologram."

"But you got shot."

"I'm a hard light hologram, which means that things can hit me."

Odd nodded. "How were you created?"

"I don't know."

"What's your first memory ever?"

"My mother and I riding in a dark truck with three men wearing suits."

William and Odd exchanged a look. "Would you call them men in black?"

"Yes...why?"

"No reason."

"Suuuuuuuure."

Then I got shot in the back with a laser.

Haha! Cliffhanger! Review or I will torture you with the cliffhanger! Bwahahahahaha!


	12. Chapter 12

"Hello, Anne. How are you?"

I sat up and banged my head on a piece of something hard and blue.

I let out a string of curses that would make a trucker blush.

"Now now Anne, that's no good, now is it? You wouldn't want to get me angry, now would you?"

I know this voice. This is Shank. I shake my head no. Shank doesn't like it when I talk.

"Good girl. Now, I have some questions for you, and I want you to answer me honestly. Can you do that?" I nod.

"Good. Now, who are your friends out there? They'll try to hurt you Anne, you have to let me help you."

He's right. Those people out there will hurt me. "Aelita. She has pink hair. And Yumi, she's goth, and Ulrich, he's a brunette, and William, he looks like you, Shank, and Jeremy, he controls the computer. He's blonde and he has glasses. And Odd, he has blonde hair with a purple rhombus on the bottom. He is always dressed in purple."

"Good girl," Shank coos. "Now, let me make sure they can't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you, Anne."

I nod. Shank would never hurt me. I know that.

Warning. Incorrect data input. Reconfiguring data storage. Checking code...

Of course Shank would hurt me. Shank's been trying to kill me. Why was I talking to him? Where am I? How do I get out of here?

A door. There has to be a door somewhere.

There. Just a few yards down. I scramble down the blue ledges and hobble out the door, still feeling the pain of the bullet wound Shank put in my chest.

Something is fighting Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, Yumi, and William. It looks like it's some kind of giant jellyfish.

I scream. It turns into some kind of song, and the blue blocks surround the jellyfish-thing and start pressing down on it. The jellyfish is trapped, but Yumi and Ulrich and Odd and William and Aelita are all glaring at me.

"Hello, traitor." Odd says.

"Traitor," the rest echo.

"How am I a traitor?" I ask. "I just saved your life!"

"You told XANA. Now that he knows our names, he can hurt us more. He used the voices of the people we care about the most. We heard our friends, our families screaming, Anne. That's something you don't forget."

I would reply, say that I heard them too, but if you don't have a family now, you never had one, they say. The fed kids say. The kids who are never hungry say. But I remember something. Something old and dark.

"Just hold still, Mrs. Schaeffer," one of the men in suits says. Anne wonders why they're wearing suits. Her daddy always seems happier when he's dressed casually. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to this beautiful daughter of yours, now would you?"

Mommy shakes her head. The man ruffles Anne's hair, and Anne giggles. The men smile indulgently at her.

"She really is adorable," one of the men comment. "Reminds me of my daughter."

Anne smiles.

Anne stopped smiling when they got out of the truck. They're in a place where everything is green and dark. They get pushed inside of a building that is lit with fake light and is all white. There isn't any color, and the men say that absence of color provides a feeling of calm.

The men take her and her mommy down to a room that is painted black that Anne thinks if white is calming, black is enraging. The men lead her mommy to a chair. She gets strapped in with a bunch of seatbelts and start asking her questions.

How old are you?

Thirty-six.

Bzzzt

What is your husband's name?

Franz Hopper.

Bzzzt

How many children do you have?

Two.

Bzzzt

What are their names?

Aelita and Anne.

Bzzzt

How old are they?

Aelita is five and Anne is three.

Bzzzt

Which one did we take with us?

Anne.

Bzzzt.

The men take Anne's mommy off the chair.

They take Anne and put her in the chair. Anne's mommy starts crying, but doesn't say anything.

How old are you?

Fwee.

How many sisters do you have?

One.

What's your mommy's name?

Mommy.

What's your daddy's name?

Daddy.

What's your sister's name?

Aewita.

Who's your best friend?

Aewita.

All right sweetie, let's get you off that chair.

Where are we going now?

We're going to another room.

They went to a room that was painted blue. There was a swimming pool in the middle of the room. They untied her mommy's hands and pushed her in the pool. They started asking questions again.

How old are you?

Thirty-six

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

What is your husband's name?

Franz Hopper.

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

Why are you here?

I don't know.

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

What did your husband do to get you in this place?

I don't know.

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

What secret operations was your husband involved in in America?

I don't know.

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

Okay then, time for your daughter.

Come on honey, it's just like going swimming.

But I don't have my thwimthuit!

Don't worry honey, it's okay.

Now. What did your daddy do in America?

I don't know.

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

Why are you here?

I don't know! Pwease, stop!

Bzz-shh-shh-shk

Okay then, I think that your mommy will tell us what we need to know now.

Anne was in pain. She hurt. She had a nosebleed. Her eyes were bleeding. She couldn't see. The man who Anne reminded of his daughter hit her,.

They went into a yellow room that had a bed of nails on it. Anne's mommy lay down on the bed.

How old are you?

Thirty-six

Shhhhhhhhhk

Forty-two.

What is your husband's name?

Waldo Franz Schaeffer.

Why are you here?

I don't know.

Shhhhhhhhhk

My husband was involved in some less than preferable business practices in America and you wish to know what happened.

What were those business practices?

I don't know.

Shhhhhhhhhk

He created a virtual world called Lyoko that you believe could be used for terrorist practices.

Anne lived there for ten years before she escaped. She was sometimes used as a guinea pig for experiments. Her mommy went away to another place when she was five. When she was thirteen, they took out her DNA and replaced it with computers. She was computer. Her heart stopped in the middle so they put her in the morgue. She woke up in the morgue and decided to leave. She left and she ran to Paris. She stayed with two people she started calling family. She met Aelita. She had forgotten about her when they changed her to computer and Aelita forgot her too. She met Shank and fell in love, the Professor scanned her. He sent Aelita to Lyoko. Shank left. Everybody left.

"Anne? Anne, are you okay? Anne, answer me!" Odd says.

I groaned.

"Good. Okay, Anne, do you know where you are?"

"No."

"We're in the factory."

"Why?"

"It was closest."

"Anne, we've noticed that every time you black out, you remember something about your past. Can you tell us what happened?" Jeremie asks.

"I went with my mother to some place in the Amazon. They tortured us until we answered him correctly. I was three years old. My eyes started bleeding. One of the men said he had a daughter my age. They exchanged my DNA with binary code the first time I turned thirteen. They thought I was dead, so they put me in the morgue. I ran away to Paris. I was adopted by two people who lived here. I didn't remember Aelita, and she didn't remember me."

"Okay then..."

"Now what?"

"Now...now, we make sure that you have a warm place to sleep tonight. And find you some new clothes." Yumi says.

I remember something. "The necklace," I say. "The one William has. Can I have it back?"

"Sure, hang on. William!"

"What?"

"Give Anne back her necklace!"

"The blue one?"

"No, the red one. Yes the blue one!"

"Here you go!" Something blue comes flying out of the darkness. Odd catches it in one hand and clasped it around my neck.

"Thank you," I whisper. Odd looks away and nods.

BACK AT KADIC...

"Yes sir, that's correct. I'm Aelita's cousin from Ameria." I said to principal Delmas. He looks over the (forged) forms in his hands. He nods once and hands me a key.

"You may room with your cousin until we find you another room," he said plaintively, as though he did this every day. I nodded silently. I felt guilty for deceiving him and for making everyone else lie for me. Odd had forged my papers and Jeremie had forged an Internet background for me. But they still hate me. I can tell from the way Yumi, for instance is glaring at me. She hates me. William says she heard her younger brother screaming. That must be awful. I didn't ask what William heard. That would probably be unbearable. Some questions you just don't ask.

I walk behind Aelita up to her room. Right before we go in, she whirls around and glares at me.

"Listen Anne, I don't like you, I don't like your uppity attitude, and I certainly don't like the fact that you tried to lie and say that I knew you before last week. I am Fed. Up. If you try one more cruel stunt, you're out. Gone. I've discussed it with the others, and we're all in agreement. Understand?"

I nod mutely. Aelita changed since I saw her after the amazon. We seems...sadder now. Like she remembered what happened to her family.

Aelita nods back. "Good," she hisses. And on that plesent note, she turns the key and walks stiffly into the dorm room. I follow behind her meekly.

I don't have anything to unpack. Odd, William, and Yumi said that they would take me shopping tomorrow. They told Aelita to let me borrow her clothes until then, and let me tell you, neither of us were thrilled at the prospect. Aelita didn't want the street urchin to befoul her clothing, and I wasn't too thrilled about Aelita's reaction to everything Odd would force me to get.

Aelita grabbed a bathrobe and some pjs. I looked at her. She sighed.

"I have to take a shower," she said. "Here, you can borrow my robe and a big t-shirt."

I nodded slowly. This kindness couldn't last too long.

I step into the shower stall. I take a short, hot shower and shampoo and rinse my hair. I step out of the shower and am grateful that Aelita hands me a towel. I towel off and slip on the t-shirt she's lending me. We walk silently down the hall back to her room. She seems calmed down right now.

This isn't the real Aelita. She died when she lost her memories.

He was coming. It was Shank, but it wasn't Shank. It was that mad little voice in my head. That one little impulse that never went away.

The acid scars from the lab.

The scrapes from the mazes.

The burning shocks from the pool.

The voice that told me to betray everyone.

It's him. He's finally come to kill me. He's chasing me, holding his gun, laughing.

Licking the blood off his fingers. Licking my blood off his fingers.

Stabbing me in the chest.

I woke up screaming.

Aelita woke up from her own nightmare and then saw me sobbing. Se forgot her own problems and came over to my bed so I'd have a shoulder to cry on.

I was wrong. The real Aelita is right next to me, forgetting her problems to help me with mine.

"Ooh, this looks cute!" Yumi said as she held up a pair of light green short shorts. I sighed.

"Or I could just get some cheap jeans and an old t-shirt." I said. Yumi made a face.

"Not on my watch! This is the one time a year that I let out my inner shopaholic. You will enjoy it."

"Yeah, Anne," Odd grinned. "Let Yumi have her fun! Also, let me have my fun. This is hilarious!"

I shot him a death glare. William laughed.

That's right, William and Odd had come along with us for the ride. And judging by Odd's idiotic expression, he was enjoying this.

"Please, Yumi," I begged. "I do not wear short shorts. I do not wear skirts. I will get anything as long as it goes past my knees."

Yumi grinned evilly. "Anything?" She asked.

I nodded miserably. This wouldn't end well.

"Cute!" Yumi said, clapping her hands. "Twirl for me!"

I sighed and twirled in the knee-length black skirt and blue blouse.

How does she even manage to find this stuff?

Three hours, twelve skirts, five pairs of shorts, a pair of Keds, twelve shirts, and a sweatshirt later, we're out of the store and Yumi, Odd, and William are out two hundred bucks.

"For the millionth time, Anne, you do not have to pay us back!" Yumi cried. "I'm already paid in getting shopaholic-y without Ulrich around!"

"And I got to see you in all those cute outfits!" Odd added.

"And I'm rich." William said.

I sighed. This wasn't the way I remembered my life. I lived my life in repaying favors. In the amazon, on the streets. You pay people back. This was not normal for me, and I doubted it ever would be.

But right now, I had to get back to Kadic to sleep so I can be Yumi's human Barbie doll tomorrow before classes.

He was coming. It was Shank, but it wasn't Shank. It was that mad little voice in my head. That one little impulse that never went away.

The acid scars from the lab.

The scrapes from the mazes.

The burning shocks from the pool.

The voice that told me to betray everyone.

It's him. He's finally come to kill me. He's chasing me, holding his gun, laughing.

Licking the blood off his fingers. Licking my blood off his fingers.

Stabbing me in the chest.

I woke up swallowing my screams. Aelita woke up and screamed.

I walked over to her bed and gave her a shoulder to cry on.

Yumi came over an hour before school started just to play with my clothes and my hair.

First, she chose my outfit. She took exactly a half hour and forced me to wear an orange skirt and a blue t-shirt. She then took fifteen minutes to get my hair to the consistency of water and curled and looped in a way that makes me look like a giant pinwheel.

Aelita sat and made suggestions.

In my opinion, it was perfectly reasonable that I was a bit irritable at breakfast.

Fortunately, Yumi only allowed me to get a small yogurt.

Unfortunately, Yumi only allowed me to get a small yogurt.

And then it was time for my first lesson, math.

And what fun I had.

**A/N: OMG guys, I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have been super busy and ran out of inspiration for this one. My solution was to start yet another multi-chapter mess of fanfiction. Please review and don't hate me!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so sad! Only one person reviewed last chapter! :'( If only one person reviews this time, I will discontinue this story! I know you're out there! Review!**

Math passed quickly. Ms. Meyers had me sit in the back of the room and fill out a test to gauge my skills in math. That happened in all my classes.

So that was fun.

Gym was...different. For one thing, his name was Jim, which was unfortunate.

Also, he constantly made strange references and then refused to talk about what he had meant.

But it was also the first class I had to do anything in.

"Alright, miss, uh, miss..."

"Anne, Anne Lyoko." I said easily. Lying doesn't trouble me anymore.

"Yeah, whatever," he said. "Anyway, Anne, you'll be running laps with the rest of the class today."

I nodded quietly. I went over to the start of the racetrack and stood around, not knowing entirely what to do. The other kids in the class came over and started lining up on either side of me. On my left is Odd, and on my right is some girl I don't know. She has long black hair and seems my complete opposite. I smiled at her nicely. She scowled at me. I turned to Odd in confusion. He shrugged at me and turned forward. I followed their leads and turned towards the end of the track.

Jim blew his whistle. I ran as fast as I could.

After the fourth lap, my lungs are burning.

After the fifth lap, my head's starting to hurt.

After the sixth lap, I have a major headache.

At the seventh lap, someone screams.

"Subject 263-459, increase speed." The voice called over the loudspeakers. Anne ran faster through the maze. She knew what happened when she didn't increase speed.

"Subject 263-459, speed has not increased sufficiently." The voice warned. Anne pushed herself to her limit.

"Subject 263-459, speed has not increased within required time. Voltage: 12 volts." The voice called. Six-year-old Anne started crying as she heard the hum of the voltage coming through the walls. She stopped as the voltage made contact with her metal shoes and electrocuted her body. It traveled through her bloodstream, electrifying her heart, shocking some of her 'extra' brain cells into extinction, and traveling through the saltwater trails on her cheeks, jolting her eyes. She collapsed onto the ground and spasmed.

"Subject263-459, movement has stopped. Increase movement." The voice called. Young Anne stood up and began stumbling along the maze. She clutched at her necklace, the one her mother had given her. She whispered her mother's words to herself.

"Saving grace...saving grace...saving grace." Anne whispered.

"Subject 263-459, spoken words are not allowed in maze. Cease immediately." The voice said coldly. Anne stopped talking.

Her blood was still boiling.

Literally.

"Her blood pressure skyrocketed right before she collapsed. All her vital signs show that she was electrocuted. That's one odd thing. There's another thing, also." The voice paused. "Her DNA doesn't show up normally on her charts. It looks as though it's made of...binary code. Some sort of computer glitch, I guess."

"Must be," someone muttered. I vaguely recognized the voice as...Aelita? Aelita was with me?

I struggled to open my eyes. It's hard to remember that the electricity isn't there anymore. When my eyelids are separated, I see a doctor, standing over me, with light coming onto my eyes.

"Hello?" I croaked out. "Who are you? Where am I?" The woman starts, then smiles at me.

"Hello sweetie! How are you?" She asks politely.

"You didn't answer me." I groan.

The woman shifts from foot to foot. "Well, that's the thing, sweetie. We don't entirely know what's wrong with you. We've done tests, scans, and exams. There's absolutely nothing physically wrong with you."

I pick up on the emphasis on the word 'physically'.

"What do you mean, physically? Does that mean my brain's messed up?"

The woman sighed. "No, dear. But the thing is, you've had several unusual brain scans while in your coma."

"Coma?"

"Dear, we had no idea why you collapsed. We had to do it to cure you."

I rolled my eyes. Didn't that sound familiar.

Wait. What? Did that sound familiar?

No. That did not sound familiar. It couldn't sound familiar. I could not afford to let it sound familiar. It can't sound familiar. Not now.

"Don't be like that. We had to keep you comatose for the operation."

My eyes almost popped out of my head. "What?"

The doctor gave me a strange look. "I said, we had to keep you comatose to keep you stable."

"Oh." My head sunk back down onto the pillows.

"Maybe we should try out some of the new pills on the subject," the doctor said.

"What?" I asked. The doctor looked at me again. "I said, maybe you need some anti-anxiety pills. You seem neurotic."

I sighed. Maybe I did need some.

"Doctor Oswald, please make the incision." Someone said. I shot up and looked around. The doctor, a nurse, Aelita. But they were all getting dimmer. Fuzzier. Almost like I was fading from reality...

My eyes widened. I know what's happening. I scramble for something, anything to keep me anchored. My hand flies into a lamp and sparks hit my hand. Then I black out.

"Doctor Oswald, please make the incision." Someone above ten-year-old Anne said. Anne screamed, arched her back. Her wrists and ankles were held in place by iron cuffs soldered on the cold metal table. The doctor above her called for the anesthesiologist. A burly man came and put a mask over her mouth. She held her breath. The computer repeated the command.

"Doctor Oswald, please make the incision."

"Doctor Oswald, please make the incision."

"Doctor Oswald, please make the incision."

Anne couldn't hold her breath anymore. She took a deep breath of the sweet-smelling gas.

Doctor Oswald made the incision. A long bloody cut materialized on young Anne's arm. The doctor wiped off the blood. He took a microchip off the table behind him and inserted it onto the surface of Anne's vein. The needle pushed through the vein and embedded itself into the muscle tissue. Anne arched unconsciously, the pain making her slightly crazy.

To this day, I use my other hand. The other one makes me crazy.

I don't bleed from that arm, either. Never.

White light covered the room, the doctor, Aelita, the nurse...everything. I woke up back in my dorm room. Four twenty-seven and twenty-five seconds. I sat up in bed and swung my legs to the floor. Aelita's bed was empty, which was strange. She always seemed to be there, watching me. I stood up and walked over to the window and pulled up the shades(with my left hand). I needed the moonlight on my face. But when I looked out the window, I discovered where Aelita was. She was walking towards the campus entrance to the factory with Jeremie, Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich.

I had never felt more betrayed before that moment.

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	14. Quick Note

**Dear readers, followers, reviewers, or favoriters:**

**I only got one review for chapter twelve, and none for chapter thirteen. Unless I get a response from this note, I'm not going to continue this story, which is upsetting because I had a great idea for next chapter...**

**If you want me to continue this story, please review on this chapter...otherwise, I'll delete it. Heck, just follow it or something...I just don't want to continue this story if people aren't reading this.**

**Sincerely,**

**Code**


	15. Chapter 14

**I'm baaaaack! Thank you to all my inspiring reviewers! Including all guest reviews! Now, review this time or I'll post another letter written ENTIRELY IN BOLD! Muahahahahahahaha. Also, please vote on the poll on my profile. Also, best day of my life. I found a typo in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Haha.**

I lay back down on my bed. I don't have the energy to go chasing after Odd and Aelita and Ulrich and Yumi. After two flashouts and everyone betraying me, I didn't want to sit up. I figured that if there was something anyone wanted to tell me, they would. I just sat up for the remainder of the time left before breakfast. I don't really feel like doing anything, but with no one left to cover me, I had to drag myself out of my room and get to breakfast.

That didn't mean I had to socialize.

I sat on a bench on the border of the forest and kicked my shoes back and forth. Hopefully no one feels like going for a joke on a Sunday.

"So, you're the new girl?" A snotty voice asked. I looked up. It was a girl with black hair and olive-peach skin wearing almost all pink. I nodded quietly. The girl grabbed my hand and pulled me up off the bench.

"Just a quick warning, sweetie. Stay. Away. From. Ulrich," and with that, she shoved me down onto the dust next to the bench. I silently stood up and sat back down on the bench. The girl, apparently dissatisfied with my response, yanked me up again and punched me in the face. I fell over backwards and felt the blood pouring out of my nose. I sat back down on the bench and pinched my nose. The girl yanked me up again and called over a lanky boy wearing shorts that are far too short for a boy.

"Nicolas, I don't like this girl. Would you beat her up for me?" She asked politely.

The boy silently nodded. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into the forest. He stepped back and gave me a black eye. He kicked me behind the kneecap and popped it and twisted my ankle and knocked out one of my teeth. He then walked out of the forest as though nothing else had happened. I sat on the forest floor for some time, slightly shell-shocked. After a while had passed, I stood up and walked back to my dorm. I don't feel like talking to anyone right now. I limp up to my room and lie on my bed. I don't move for the next several hours. I don't feel like it, and honestly, I don't think I can.

Someone knocks at my door. I stand up and limp over.

Nicolas is standing outside of my room. I try to slam the door in his face. He puts his toe in the door frame.

"Look, Annabel..."

"Anne." I correct coldly. "What do you want, Nicolas?"

Nicolas hung his head. "I want to say sorry, Anne. I wouldn't have..."

"Wouldn't have what?" I spat at him. "Wouldn't have knocked out my tooth? Wouldn't have given me a sprained ankle? Wouldn't have given me a black eye? Wouldn't have what, Nicolas?"

Nicolas hung his head. "I'm sorry for everything, Anne. I hated doing that. I really did."

"Then why did you, Nicolas? Why did you?"

Nicolas looked away and muttered something under his breath.

"Speak up." I said sharply. Nicolas looked at me.

"I'm on a scholarship," he said, slightly more audibly. "If I don't do what Sissi says, I'll get kicked out of school."

Despite my best efforts, an ounce of sympathy oozed into my heart. I sighed. "Nicolas, she can't do anything. Just because her dad's the principal, you don't have to do what she says."

Nicolas looked down and sighed. "I guess..." His eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey Anne, how would you like to have a fantastic and breath-taking experience in the moonlight with me tonight?"

I blinked. "Um, what?" I asked. Nicolas sighed.

"Fishing," he said. "Fishing in the river out by the old factory."

I thought for a second. Odd wasn't back yet, in fact, none of the had showed up yet today... I mentally shrugged. "Sure," I said, "why not?"

Nicolas blinked. "Really? You mean it?"

I faked a smile. "Definitely!" I chirped. "So, see you at nine or so?"

Nicolas grinned goofily. "Sure!" He exclaimed. "Definitely!" Nicolas took off down the hall, screaming that he had gotten a date.

I smiled as I shut my door, but a frown quickly replaced it.

Where are you, Odd Della Robia?

I changed into my old outfit, a dark blue t-shirt and black jean capris. I carefully set my necklace on the bed stand. I wouldn't want to lose it fishing.

At nine o' clock on the dot, someone knocks on my door. I open it, and a smiling Nicolas is on the other side. He's dressed in his usual outfit, just with two fishing poles and a bucket of bait. I smile at him.

"Let's go," I say. "I want to get back before curfew." Nicolas nodded silently, his grin still wide.

We headed down the halls quickly. Nicolas apparently had no idea what he was supposed to do on a date, since he kept scratching the back of his head, opening his mouth, and then closing it awkwardly. We didn't talk much.

Nicolas ushered me into the gym and opened a door in the utility closet. He led me through an old rock tunnel which ended up with us reclining on the rocky banks of the factory island.

I whistled. This was a really peaceful spot, now that I'm not being attacked by XANA. Nicolas smiled.

"Yeah, I like to come here to get away sometimes. It's so peaceful, you know?"

I nod. Things seem so distant right now.

Nicolas baits my hook for me and hands me a fishing rod. I sit down cross-legged and start fishing.

We stayed out there amicably for a few hours. We never spoke, nor had a reason to. Things were quiet. Peaceful.

Once my watch (another gift from Odd, Yumi, and William) hit nine, we packed up all our stuff and brought it back to the dorms. Nicolas dropped me off outside of my room.

"Thanks, Nicolas," I smiled. "That was fun." Nicolas grinned back.

"No problem, Anne!" He said. "You're a lot better at fishing than other girls. They all want to talk, and talking scares the fish away."

I laughed. "You're a piece of work, Nicolas." Then I closed my door and lay down on my bed.

Odd was missing.

William was missing.

Aelita was missing.

Everyone was missing.

So why the hell isn't anyone worried about them?

I looked over at Aelita's bed.

Then I realized.

I was in a single room.


	16. Chapter 16

**My only excuse is this:...yeah, nothing. Hey, at least I updated!**

**Pay no attention to the author behind the plot holes!**

I sat bolt upright. Aelita wasn't in the room. From what I could see, Aelita had never been in the room. As far as I knew, no one else knew she had ever been in the room.

I got dressed in record speed. Camo shirt, black pants, and combat boots.

The only outfit I own from the shopping trip I don't entirely hate.

I poke my head out through the door. Jim is just starting his patrol down the halls. Can't use the direct route. I turn around and see the window, which doesn't have a screen, a fact which I had despised until now. I carefully slid the window open, making sure it didn't squeak. I looked down at the ground.

It was an impressive distance of twenty feet. I sat on the window sill, closed my eyes, and gritted my teeth.

I really hope I don't regret this in a minute.

Lying on my back on the ground five minutes later, I regret it. I deeply regret it.

I groan quietly and prop myself up on my elbows. I then stand up. No time to waste, and binary heals quickly.

I run through the forest, towards the entry to the sewers Odd showed me.

As I climb down the ladder, I let out a sigh of relief. It's weird to think that it's only been a week since I was last down here. And even though everyone expects me to feel the way everyone else does about the égouts, I still retain this little scrap of security I get from being underground.

Vieilles habitudes ont la vie dures.

Old habits die hard.

I run through the sewers. I probably shouldn't though, what with my recent collapses.

Oh well.

And if they don't thank me, I will murder them personally.

It only takes me about five minutes to get to the factory,

When I enter the code to the elevator and head down to the computer room, I'm shocked even more.

I knew something was wrong, but the scenery seems so wrong without Jeremie typing at the computer and shouting coordinates into his headset. It's also really cold in here.

I shivered as my eyes widened. The supercomputer produced the heat. The supercomputer is off...

I ran down the flight of stairs towards the supercomputer room. It was off. I squinted at it, allowing my binary vision to take over.

Days since last activated: Three

Last activity: Total system reboot

Digital signatures: Five

Signatures: Ulrich Gulliver Stern, Odd Fiyero Della Robia, Yumi Kyono Ishiyama, Jeremie Jonathan Belpois, Aelita Lily Schaeffer.

Last Passcode used: None

Current necessary Passcode: Lyoko

I cursed under my breath. Jeremie, you idiot!

I turned the computer on and went up to the control room to work on the software. The first things that popped up on my screen were mini Skype screens that showed Jeremie, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and Aelita sleeping in their Lyoko clothes. Sure, they all looked strange but Jeremie... Jeremie would never go in public again if he was seen like this.

I tap in one of Jeremie's materialization code.

Warning. Materialization failed. Code not recognized.

I curse under my breath again. After years of living on the streets, I have quite the vocabulary, too.

I try another code on the off chance that something will happen.

Code recognized. Code: Carthage. Lyoko: Destabilized. Destruction in: 5:00. Please enter cancellation code and virtualize all specimens on Lyoko.

Well, something did happen, so...good thing?

Lyoko is going to be destroyed in five minutes, and right now, all I can do is pace. Because I don't know how to use the supercomputer! I mean, does anyone besides Jeremie and maybe Aelita?

Okay. Concentrate, Anne. You are Anne Britney Hopper, daughter of Franz Hopper and Anthea Hopper. You can figure this out.

Okay. Carthage. What is Carthage?

Data retrieved. "Carthage" is a top secret military project to be used to block communications between enemy forces. Creators of Carthage include Franz Hopper and Anthea Hopper. The project was ended in 1994. Carthage is the code name for sector five of Lyoko in which XANA resides. The code Carthage is often used to terminate employees or projects.

Okay. Lyoko is going to be destroyed in less than five minutes. Five out of the six Lyoko warriors are captive on Lyoko and I don't have enough time to find the sixth one. No one seems to remember any of them existing, either.

Most recent codes entered: Code: Carthage Code: XANA Code: Erase Code: Skull Code: Lyoko.

Okay. Carthage. Carthage was me. XANA is probably connected to Carthage somehow, since those idiots built the supercomputer. Erase and Skull. Erase was probably the one that made everyone forget about the warriors on the computer. Skull was probably entered as part of the computer's programming when Jeremie rebooted it. That would explain why they were on the computer and why no one could remember them...

"Anne?" A boy asks. "Is that you?"

I jump out of the chair and turn to face the intruder, already in one of my fighting poses.

"Whoa! Calm down, I'm not going to rob you!" the boy says, stepping out of the shadows. I sigh in relief and release my pose.

"William! What are you doing here?" William shrugs.

"I don't really know. I just had this...really weird dream. I was on that bridge outside, and there was this girl...she was gorgeous, but I'm sure I've never seen her before in my life. I woke up, and I guess I had to make sure it was just a dream. I saw the lights on in here, and I got curious."

"Oh. Okay then..." But there's still a little seed of worry at the back of my mind, screaming for me to notice what's wrong with thins picture.

"Hey, what's on that screen?" William asks, looking over my shoulder and staring at the five little pictures of the Lyoko Warriors.

"Ah, nothing. Just a project. Old program I found on the mainframe. Nothing that would be interesting to you," I say, trying in vain to block William from getting past me. William, being about six inches taller than me and about twice as heavy, easily shoulders past me.

"No way," he breathes, leaning towards the screen. "That's the girl I saw in my dream! Anne, what happened?"

But I'm not really paying attention, as suddenly, that little seed of worry us managed to get my attention and I now know what's wrong with this picture.

"William," I say slowly. "We're in the basement of the factory. There aren't any lights on the upper levels. Why did you come in here?"

William turns to face me and sighs. "Anne, I really wish you hadn't noticed that," he said almost wistfully. "Because now, I have to do the same thing to you that I did to those five."

I back up against a wall. "William, what are you talking about?"

William sighs again as he walks towards me. He cracks his knuckles ominously. "Oh Anne, I'm not William!" he's getting closer, and his fists look strangely big.

"Oh yeah? Then who are you?" I ask, desperate for any kind of extra time.

William laughs as he raises his arm. "Haven't you guessed yet, my dear little Anne?" I squeeze my eyes shut as his meaty fist begins hurtling towards my face.

_"It's me, dear. XANA."_

**Sorry it's late. And short. Hey, at least I updated one! And I would be updating a lot more quickly if someone would adopt the story I abandoned! It's hard to miss, I changed the summary to an adoption poster.**


	17. Chapter 17

Remember SOPA? Well, it's back. SOPA 2013 will BAN fanfiction, fan art, fan videos, even BACKGROUND MUSIC. Sheesh. Anyways. There's a petition somewhere on , so check that out. Also, this story is on hiatus indefinitely. Buh-bye.


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